Police Investigating Report Of Horse Neglect In Bethany

BETHANY — Animal control officers are trying to determine whether a horse found in 2 to 3 feet of manure and mud had been neglected.

The horse, which was discovered Thursday on Cheshire Road, is being examined, said Lt. J. Paul Vance, state police spokesman.

"It's being investigated," he said.

The local Resident State Trooper's Office was alerted to a citizen's concerns about the horse about 1 p.m. Thursday, according to a police report.

A trooper responded and found that the horse was in "physical distress." It was standing in, and covered with, manure and mud and did not have clean drinking water, the report states.

Animal control officers were called and the horse was taken to a local farm for evaluation, police said.

The owner told the trooper that the horse had been in its stall since early winter and has not been seen by a veterinarian, the report states. It wasn't clear who was supposed to take care of the animal.

The case is being investigated by animal control officers with District Animal Control, a regional animal control office, the report states.